1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to recreational vehicles, such as folding camping trailers and travel trailers and, more particularly, to recreational vehicles having integrally formed or attached storage containers.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of recreational vehicles for comfortable travel is well known and continues to increase in popularity. Recreational vehicles include those that may be driven down the road as a self-contained unit and others that are towed, such as folding camping trailers and travel trailers. Besides providing shelter and creature comforts away from home, recreational vehicles must enable the owner to transport all manner of supplies and lifestyle accessories, such as bicycles, boats, camping gear, hunting gear, and the like.
Folding camping trailers, wherein major design goals include low cost, compact size, and light weight, present a particular challenge to their designers and manufacturers in providing protective storage areas for items that recreational vehicle owners are likely to transport in the use of their vehicles. Such items may include, for example, food, ice chests, firewood, camping equipment, and children's playthings.
Storage containers are commonly used on numerous types of vehicles, and their design, construction, and attachment methods vary widely in the field. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,639 to Tanaka et al. discloses a rear trunk for a motorcycle. The rear trunk includes a trunk portion and a lid portion, which are connected by hinges. U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,736 to Cook et al. discloses a storage compartment for a truck. The storage compartment is connected by flanges to a rear panel of the vehicle operator compartment of the truck. U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,941 to Cross discloses a utility box for use with an all-terrain vehicle (ATV). The utility box is connected to a rack on the ATV by bungee cords. U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,080 to Saffold discloses a removable storage apparatus for use on the bed of a pickup truck. The storage apparatus includes a lid section and a container section that are connected by hinges.
A common shortcoming of storage containers presently used on vehicles, such as those described above, is an inherent weakness at the seams or joints of the storage containers. For example, seams connect the sides and bottoms of the storage containers, and often further connect the lid or doors to the top or sides of the storage containers. Additionally, a seam or joint is often utilized to join, the storage container to the structure of a vehicle body. While the number and nature of assembly joints or seams vary by manufacturer, they all typically share the major assembly joints where the storage container meets the structure of a vehicle body.
The use of numerous seams or joints increases the chance that water or debris will enter into the storage container. The intrusion of unwanted water into the storage container can damage articles stored therein. In addition, the major seam or joint where the storage container meets, for example, the trailer body of a folding camping trailer is especially problematic because it is susceptible to movement caused by “flexing” of the trailer chassis, which is common during towing.
In general, storage containers in folding camping trailers are attached to the folding camping trailer by way of multiple attachment points on the horizontally-oriented trailer chassis as well as multiple attachment points on the vertically-oriented front or rear structure of the trailer body of the folding camping trailer. The vertical joint, in particular, is problematic because when the trailer chassis flexes, the vertical joint is subjected to forces that can act to loosen or dislodge the joint to the point where weather-sealing materials, typically caulking and adhesive tapes, are exposed. The situation is especially prevalent when the storage container is loaded in excess of its manufacturer load rating, which is believed to be a common, if unintentional, practice. Once the weather sealing integrity of this vertical joint has been compromised, prolonged and unchecked water intrusion can cause major damage to the contents of the storage container, the storage container itself, and to the trailer body.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for an improved storage container for use with recreational vehicles that exhibits weather-resistance but may be easily manufactured and assembled to the recreational vehicle.